Two loud explosions and sustained gunfire were heard near Mali's main military base, Kati, outside the capital Bamako, and soldiers deployed, blocking off roads in the area, witnesses said.

Gunfire rocked several districts of the West African country on Saturday, including Kati, the home of military ruler General Assimi Goita, witnesses and a security source told AFP.

It was not clear what caused the explosions, and no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The central Sahel country is battling attacks by the West Africa affiliates of Al Qaeda and the Daesh terror groups. It is also grappling with a much longer history of Tuareg-led separatism in the north.

The government led by Assimi Goita has leaned on Russian mercenaries for security support while initially spurring defence cooperation with Western countries. Recently, it has pursued closer ties with the US.

Reuters reported in March that Mali and the US were nearing a deal that would allow Washington to resume flying aircraft and drones over the West African country's airspace to gather intelligence on armed and terrorist groups.